The Ice Of Flames
by scarlet700
Summary: Staying home would have gotten her brother killed, but fighting in a war that was not supposed to have happened has finally gotten Katara to learn about twists, pain and betrayal the hard way. The captain, Zuko, doesn't know what to do with the weak waterbender and Katara will not let the Fire Nation royal family live.


_Chapter One:_

_I Have To Do This_

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**__****_DISCLAIMER: I Don't Own ATLA_**

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With the afternoon sun rolling high in the clear, blue sky, the sound of children playing in the soft snow could be heard for miles. The small village of the Southern Water Tribe was bustling with life as the people completed their work for the day, but betraying the peace were furious screams; all coming from the center of the village. There in the largest igloo lived the chief's mother, Kanna, and her two grandchildren, Sokka and Katara.

"No, I won't let this happen!" A firm female voice argued, not willing to give up what was left of her family.

"Katara, come now, surely you can see that there is a need for him to leave." An older, much wiser voice tried to reason.

"Dad is already training for a war that may never happen; I won't let Sokka go! He is sick. Gran-Gran, you know that he can hardly stand, let alone fight a war." Katara explained, fiery sparkling in her bright cerulean orbs.

"Your father has already granted permission for his child to be taken." Kanna replied, frustration clearly showing on her soft, aged features.

"Then I will go." Katara exclaimed, leaving no room to argue as she paced back to her small room, acutely aware of her grandmother's footsteps behind her.

It had been a year since her elder brother had fallen ill to a foreign disease, leaving him unable to leave the warm comfort of his bed. Katara had used what little healing knowledge she had to try ease his burden, but nothing had worked and so she had vowed to stay by his side until the very end. Although, it seemed that fate had other plans for her in mind.

"See reason child. No woman has ever left to join the army; it's unheard of." Kanna stated, once more trying to keep her precious granddaughter by her side.

"Then I will be the first." She replied, passing through the thick animal skins to enter her room.

"Katara, no." The elderly woman argued, placing a firm hand on the younger's shoulder.

"Would you rather have him die?!" Katara shouted in exasperation, spinning around to reveal the tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. Both women were at their rope's end and both were determined to have their way, but gazing at the firm expression of the younger woman, Kanna slowly realized she would not be able to keep her grandchild from following through with her plan. Letting out a soft sigh, the elder woman nodded in acceptance, leaving the room in silence.

The young waterbender stayed in the same position, glaring at the entrance to her bedroom with her hands balled into tight fists, trying in vain to control her emotions. She didn't know what she was feeling or how long she could hold it together, however she was going to get through this no matter what. Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Katara fell to her knees, the pain in her heart too hard to bear as she allowed the sobs to rip through her body.

She had lost her mother – at the age of five – to a horrible, drunk man from the Fire Nation and then the family had gotten smaller when her father had abandoned them to join the crazy war; that had been two years ago. She was not about to let her brother be taken away from her as well, having the courage to sacrifice herself instead.

As time passed by, her sobs ceased and her body regained its strength. Her determination flared through her being, bring her to the decision that it was time to start getting ready; tomorrow would be a really long day.

Standing up from the fur rug, Katara glanced around her small room, knowing that it would be some time before she would be able to return to it. It was time to say goodbye to her tiny single bed, fitted with animal skins and blue and silver bedding, time to leave behind her paintings of her family, and time to forget about the few clothes and personal items scattered around. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before picking up the only bag in her possession, stuffing in two outfits and necessary toiletries.

Packing didn't take long and by the end of it her room was emptier than before. This was no longer her home; there was somewhere else she belonged now. Placing her bag outside her entrance way, the young waterbender calmly strolled into the kitchen, knowing that dinner would soon be ready.

Clearing her throat to get her grandmother's attention, Katara inquired, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Why don't you take our plates to your brother's room and I'll bring up our tea." Kanna replied with a fake cheerfulness as she put the finishing touches on the warm drinks.

"Sure." Katara answered in the same tone, taking a hold of the tray, carrying their hot soup back in the direction she came from. Their igloo was not one large in stature, but it did its job and was nice and cozy for the three of them. Shifting the tray into one hand, she knocked with the other, letting her brother know that she was coming in.

Walking through the animal skin backwards, the young lady placed their food on the small table standing to the side, smiling brightly as she handed Sokka his portion and said, "Didn't want you to die from hunger."

"Ha…ha, you're a life saver, Katara." Sokka replied in a croaky voice, placing the soup on his lap and looking up in time to see his grandmother walk in with their drinks.

"Alright, you two. Katara take a seat and thank the spirits for this meal." Kanna ordered, taking her own seat.

Doing as told, the young waterbender humbly bowed her head and started, "Honorable La and Tui, we humbly come before thee to give thanks for this warm meal thou has given us. May the spirits for ever be praised."

"Let's dig in." Sokka exclaimed, immediately bringing his spoon to his mouth to stuff his face.

"Sokka… manners!" Kanna quietly warned. Nodding once, the young man slowed his eating into a normal pace. Chuckling quietly, Katara smiled before starting her own meal, her thoughts wondering to the future as they ate in silence. Would she be able to return to her family? She could only hope. Images of death and tears flashed through her mind at the thought of not returning, causing her to subtly shake her head. She would not allow herself to die in the foreign lands.

"How about we have a family night?" Sokka suggested out of the blue, tearing his sister away from her morbid thoughts.

"I'm afraid that it will have to be another night. Your sister will have to get a good night's rest if she wished to get up early to join the arm tomorrow morning." Kanna slyly piped in before casually sipping at her tea.

"Katara?" Sokka questioned, turning his gaze to the young lady.

"I have to do this, Sokka." Katara responded, shooting a glare at her conniving grandmother.

"This isn't right, I should be the one going, you can't do this." Sokka protested firmly.

"You can't stop me." Katara snapped, quickly gathering the dishes and marching out the room toward the kitchen. The sun was almost completely set, leaving their home in partial darkness. Angrily dumping the dishes into the wash pot, she ran to her room, holding her emotions at bay for the second time that day.

Ripping her day clothes off, she put on her night clothes, climbing into bed as the darkness finally settled. Taking a deep, ragged breath, she allowed her tears to roll down her cheeks, crying herself to sleep once more.

Reassuring herself that she was doing the right thing, Katara slug her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the kitchen, thinking that she would bid her grandmother farewell. The smell that assaulted her nose as she entered the room almost brought tears to her eyes, but she pushed that urge away, knowing that her grandmother was watching her every move.

An awkward silence hung in the air, making it difficult to turn this situation into a fond farewell. Closing off her pride, the young woman ran to her guardian, throwing her arms around the elderly lady in a warm, loving embrace. This would be the last time she would be able to have this closeness for a long time. Tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks, Kanna returned the embrace, pouring all her love into the simple gesture of affection.

No words were needed and none were said as they parted, allowing Katara to leave her home. Standing outside their igloo, the waterbender pulled the hood of her parka over her head, protecting her from the harsh bite of the cold wind. The sky was grey, threatening to snow and the streets seemed empty.

Putting on her brave face, Katara made her way to the entrance of the small village, trying to conceal the nervousness she felt on the inside. This was not the way she had pictured her life as a small child. She wanted to grow up with her family, find a good looking man that loved her and travel the world with him. She wanted to settle down, have kids and teach them all she knew about waterbending, but that obviously was not going to happen.

Snapping out of her thoughts as a loud horn sounded through the air, Katara looked up from her fur boots, shocked to see a Fire Nation ship embarked in front of her on her homeland. They were going to join the Fire Nation army? Anxiety filling her chest, she swallowed the lump in her throat and cautiously walked forward, making sure to keep her guard up for an attack. According to the rumors, it was the Fire Nation that had started this war.

Watching as the ramp opened to reveal a female individual, the young waterbender was surprised to see that it was a child round about her age, she had a petite body – seeming almost frail – her black hair pulled into a pun above her head and green clothes adorning her figure; to say that Katara was confused was an understatement, as she noticed the milky green blind eyes. Wiping the surprise from her expression, she gazed on as the small girl barked orders in a loud voice that surely didn't belong to her, "Come on people, we don't have all day! Move!"

"Sure you don't." Katara mumbled, not liking her attitude already. Doing as she was told, she walked up the ramp and settled on the metal beast, watching with a broken heart as her home continue to grow smaller.

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**_Author's note: After all the short one-shots I've been posting I've forgotten how much work it is to write something over 800 words. Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this first chapter. _**

**_Thoughts, ramblings, reviews and ideas are very welcomed and much appreciated. _**


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